Well, tornados are proving to be a problem that not only won’t go away, but are getting worse. The firm 10 Design has thus designed this prototype house meant to stand up to the torrents and torments of a cyclone.
Courtesy of 10 Design
So how does a building survive being in a tornado’s path? By not being in the tornado’s path. The massive stilt upon which this Tornado House stands is mated with powerful hydraulic levers which lower the house into a cavity below whenever sensors pick up a whirlwind in the vicinity; and raise it when the all-clear is sounded. When the house is fully under ground, a roof locks overhead, forming a water and wind-proof seal.”]
Courtesy of 10 Design
The house would be skinned in a sandwiched assembly of Kevlar/translucent insulation/Kevlar, to create an incredibly strong and high performance exterior which is none-the-less translucent. This allows daylighting with soft diffuse light to occur within. Future investigation involving the Tornado House include explorations into photocatalytic coatings and carbon nanotubes for the purpose of scrubbing toxins, pollutants and CO₂ from the surrounding atmosphere in the hopes of powering the building and/or its hydraulics.
Courtesy of 10 Design
Courtesy of 10 Design
